Supply Chain by the Numbers: Week of May 7, 2009
 

-May 7, 2009
   
 

This Week's Supply Chain by the Numbers - Economic Growth in China, Cass Freight Index Drop, RFID Market Growth Projection, Price of Goods Decrease in China

   
 

The Supply Chain and Logistics Numbers Worth Knowing This Week: Hope Springs Eternal, Freight Decline Hitting Bottom?, RFID Growth Projection, The Price is Right

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53.5

The level of the Purchasing Managers Index in April reported by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, the second month it has increased and hopeful sign for the global economy. As with the ISM PMI in the US, any level above 50 indicates economic growth.
 
 



 

25%

The drop in the widely watched Cass Freight Index for April, a number based on a huge volume of payments to carriers processed by the freight payment giant. The April year-over-year decline in the shipment index announced Monday was the steepest yet in a freight tailspin that started at the beginning of 2008.  Some, however, see this as a bottom.
 
 
11%

The level of RFID market growth the researchers at ABI expect for 2010; however, most of the growth is for applications outside of supply chain, such as fixed asset tracking, RFID-enabled identification, etc. Bright spots for supply chain were item tracking in apparel/footwear and logistics asset tracking.
 
 
 
 
5-10%

The decrease in the current price of goods made in China from the same time a year ago, according to trade giant Li & Fung. That represents a big change from the upward price pressure seen over the last few years, as labor costs were rising rapidly. Downward wage pressures and lower input prices are behind the drop.